Having Faith
by Ms Musician
Summary: On her way home from Emerson College, Nancy disappears.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, everyone. Okay, honestly, I'm not totally sure where I'm going with this story, so bare with me, please. If you have ideas, PM me. And even if you don't, feel free to tell me what you think so far. Enjoy :)

* * *

Ned had only been back to the fraternity house a few minutes when he got the call.

Almost midnight Saturday night, and the parties were just now slowing down as teens staggered in to their dorm rooms where they crashed halfway on their bed, exhausted and practically drunk from the keg that had gotten snuck onto college grounds. It was the end of summer, and everyone was getting their last bit of excitement in before college started once again.

Ned, however, was returning from the party completely sober, but exhausted. He got ready for bed as soon as he closed the door, and had just sprawled out on the bed when his cell phone rang. He groaned before looking at the caller ID. It was Bess, wondering if Nancy was still with him.

"No," he replied slowly. "She left hours ago. She should have been home by now."

"She isn't," Bess replied. "Hannah is about to go crazy with worry. Her father probably is, too. Maybe she had to stop for some reason…"

"Yeah. Maybe. Have you tried calling her?" Ned asked.

"That's the strange thing. Her phone says that it's been disconnected or out of service. It's not working."

Ned stood up. "I don't have class tomorrow. I'm going to head toward River Heights and see if I can find her."

"You don't have to do that," Bess said.

"No. If there's no way to get hold of her, I want to make sure she's all right. I'll call you if I find her."

"Okay. Talk to you soon."

As soon as Ned hung up the phone, he hastily put some clothes in a small suitcase along with his phone and charger. He would call his parents on the way to tell them he was coming.

As he drove, he almost constantly checked the roadsides, looking for any sign of an accident or even a broken down car. Anything. But he found nothing.

After almost an hour of driving, he finally stopped for gas at a small gas station practically in the middle of nowhere. It was simple, with only two gas tanks and a cash-only pay inside type of payment policy. The clerk behind the counter, a balding man whom looked to be in his early fifties and had a heavy southern accent, looked very uninterested in the vicinity around him. That is, until Ned asked about Nancy.

"I've seen a girl come in her a while ago that fits that description," the clerk said. "She came in here asking where the closest place to get her car fixed was. She headed out about two hours ago, I'd say."

"Which way? Do you know?" Ned inquired.

"Toward River Heights. The service station is about three miles away."

"Thanks," Ned said. He paid for his gas then left quickly, hoping that wherever Nancy was, she was all right.

--

As Ned left the gas station, he took the highway leading toward River Heights. He knew the road by heart; he had traveled it many times to visit family and his girlfriend. He also knew of the service station the clerk had told him about, and found it easily. However, it was closed.

Ned was still almost an hour away from River Heights, and it was late. He decided to call his parents to tell them not to expect him tonight, and that he would stay overnight at a hotel.

"Just be careful," his mother said. "Call me tomorrow to tell me when to expect you home. Good luck," she added.

"Thanks," Ned said. He sighed. "I just hope she's all right."

"I'm sure she is," Mrs. Nickerson said. "Rest up tonight. You've still got a drive tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom. See you tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and finally settled into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

--

The next day, Ned finished the drive home without finding anything—or anyone. His parents informed him that the police had been called, and a missing person's case had been filed. The police were going out that afternoon to look for any sign of Nancy.

"This is all just so strange," Hannah said. "Where could she have gone? You didn't see her…her car wasn't found anywhere…and her phone. That's the strangest part. Her phone is responding with a message as if it had been broken or shut off."

"You haven't heard anything at all? Not since she left the party at the college?" Ned asked.

Hannah thought a moment. "She called me at nine thirty. Told me that she would be leaving soon to head home. I told her to be careful since it was so late. That was the last time that I talked to her."

"Well, hopefully the police find something," Mr. Drew said.

"They're going out this afternoon, right?" Ned asked.

Mr. Drew nodded. "They should be leaving in a few minutes." He sighed. "Now, we just wait."

An hour passed by, then another. They tried to pass time by eating a late dinner, but their minds were elsewhere. The sun had just begun to set when the telephone finally rang at the Drew home.

"Drew residence," Hannah answered.

On the phone was Detective Paul Brown. They had found their first bit of evidence toward their case. On the major highway leading to River Heights—the same one Ned had traveled on the night before—was an area of scattered broken glass. In the middle of all of the glass was Nancy's cell phone, which had been completely shattered. Faint traces of blood covered several pieces of glass, leaving the police to rule this is foul play. They assumed that Nancy had been taken by force.

But a major question had yet to be answered. Where was her car? Had her captors taken it, or possibly forced her to drive somewhere? Nothing could be certain at this stage in the case.

"We'll do our best, Mr. Drew, ret assure. As soon as we find anything, we'll contact you."

"Thank you, officer."

As Hannah showed them out, Mr. Drew and Ned went into the living room and took a seat. "I can't believe this is happening," Ned said. "I mean, if she were on a case, this would be a little bit different. But she's not."

"I know," Mr. Drew agreed. Hannah walked in and sank into one of the cushioned chairs across from Mr. Drew. "It's not very often that a kidnapping occurs for no apparent reason."

"There had to be something," Ned said. "There's something that we just don't know about yet."

"It'll be figured out soon," Hannah said softly. "We've just got to have faith. We have to have faith that she'll be found, alive and well, and that's all that there is to it."

Ned smiled. "I should be heading home soon," he said. "If you find anything out, call me, please."

"We will," Mr. Drew replied. "Drive safe."

"Okay. Talk to you later. Good-bye."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks goes to Elja for the advice. Here's the next chapter.

* * *

Nancy woke up in an unfamiliar room. It was mostly dark with only a bedside lamp on. She was laying on something soft. A bed, she realized after a moment.

She tried to move her wrists, but both her wrists and ankles had been tied. She turned her head and immediately felt a terrible pain shoot through her head. She lost consciousness instantly.

--

Detectives continued their search for days. The first thing they did was question the clerk at the gas station. But they learned nothing new; everything he told them was what he had told Ned a few nights before.

"We know that she never made it to the repair shop. The glass assumed to be from her car was found about a mile from the there."

"Has anyone gone to search the area where the glass and cell phone was found?" a detective asked.

"No. I'll send some men out now," Detective Brown said.

He spoke into his phone briefly. After making arrangements, he hung up then said, "Let's go. We're supposed to meet them out there."

--

Nancy's head was still pounding when she came to. This time, when she opened her eyes, she found two men standing over her.

She recognized one of the men as her attacker—the one that had done the actual kidnapping. He was tall with dark hair and matching dark eyes. His shirt was torn slightly due to the struggle from earlier as he tried to get her in his car.

The second, a shorter man with light blond hair and blue, piercing eyes, was most likely the driver of the getaway car.

"Well, look who's finally awake," the first man said.

"It's about time you woke up, the second said. His eyes met hers steadily. "The boss has wanted to see you."

"Who are you?" Nancy asked.

"Our names are to be kept private, my dear. But the most I'm able to tell you is that these next few days will not be pleasant, if the boss has anything to say about it."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and yet another man stood in the doorway.

"Ms. Drew, what a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm sorry for any pain that you may be in right now. But it sounds like you gave my assistants here a rough time. Well, anyway, the pain you're in now will be nothing compared to the near future. We will meet again soon. Until then..." the man turned to his assistants. "You're free to do with her what you want."

As the door shut behind him, Nancy's' heart sank as she noticed the menacing look in the men's eyes. For the first time in a long time, Nancy Drew felt completely helpless.

--

"You two, search the left field. Another group needs to search to the right. Any findings need to be reported immediately. Head out."

It had been four days since Nancy had been reported missing, and investigators were desperate for leads.

The blood on the broken glass had been sent to a lab to be tested, and the results had shown that the type matched Nancy's blood type. It was the only lead they had.

"I've never seen any case like this in my ten years of detective work. Usually _something_ is left behind. There's just—"

"Hey, boss, I think we've got something."

Detective Brown quickly followed the man, who led him back a short distance away from the road.

The first thing that could be noticed was that something or someone had obviously been dragged for several feet. The marks stopped about ten feet away.

There was also a wallet that had been completely emptied out of all money and cards, leaving only a driver's license for Nancy Drew.

"Note the area and mark it as evidence. No one but investigators are to come through here."

"Yes, sir."

Detective Brown ran a hand through his graying hair.

Maybe the case wasn't as hopeless as they thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Next chapter's up. I hope you like it :)

* * *

It was raining.

Nancy had always loved the rain. She would lie in bed, listening to the raindrops hit the window softly. After she met Ned, every time it rained when they were together they would curl up on the couch, pop popcorn, and watch the newest movie out.

Now Nancy was missing. Ned stood in front of the window looking out, watching as fat raindrops fell to the ground. For a long moment, his mind flashed through the memories of those rainy days spent on the couch with Nancy. And he wondered if he would ever hold his girlfriend in his arms once again.

--

The first thing Nancy became aware of when she woke up was the pain that she was in. She was alone in the same room she had been kept in earlier, still on the bed. All of the sheets and the bedspread had been taken off after the kidnappers were finished with her, but only after they were sure that the bleeding had stopped.

The man that was the obvious leader of the group had given his assistants instructions to take care of her for good tonight. She had been missing for over a week, and their chances of being caught were eventually going to incline over time. They had taken their assignment very seriously, and beat her several times until she eventually lost consciousness.

Nancy closed her eyes. It was only a matter of time before they came back to finish the job. Her wrists were tied too tight to get out of. There was no way out. Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallway, approaching her room.

_This is it._

--

Ned helped his mother with dinner that night. Ned had intended to skip dinner, especially after he learned it was already seven when his mother had decided to start it. But she insisted that he eat something, saying that he couldn't keep skipping meals. Worrying would do nothing; neither would picking up unhealthy habits due to the stress and anxiety caused from the entire incident. His parents knew that Ned needed a distraction, so his mother asked him to help her with dinner.

"What do you want put in the salad?" he asked.

"Whatever you want," she replied lightly. "You're in charge of it."

Suddenly, the telephone rang. "James, honey, can you get that?" she called to her husband. She sighed and returned to the carrots she had been cutting. It wasn't long, however, before Mr. Nickerson walked in to the kitchen, his face mixed with emotions. Both Ned and his mother took one look at his face and knew something had happened.

"What did they say?" Ned asked.

"They found her."

--

Nancy had been found, unconscious, in the front seat of her car.

The car was about ten miles away from where the remains of her car window had been found—about an hour and a half away from River Heights. The car had been stripped of everything valuable. The front driver's side window had been broken, and in several areas down the side of the door were traces of blood. Other than that, the car was unharmed.

Nancy, who had been slumped over the steering wheel, was taken to the nearest hospital with a concussion and a fractured bone in her right arm, along with the possibility of internal injuries. Everyone prayed that there were none.

Media swarmed the entryway to the hospital as Carson Drew walked up the steps, closely followed by Ned. They immediately went to the front desk, where they were directed to the emergency room waiting room. It was there that the next two agonizing hours would be spent as they waited for news from the doctor.

Carson Drew paced the floor nervously as Ned stayed seated, his head buried in his hands. Every time the door to the emergency room opened, Mr. Drew would pause and Ned would lift his head, only to feel the familiar disappointment of knowing that there was still no new news. But finally, at ten thirty that night, the doctor finally emerged from the emergency room.

By now, Mr. Drew and Ned were the only two in the room left that had not been spoken to. The doctor approached them. "Are you here for Ms. Drew?" he asked.

The two men nodded. "How is she?" Mr. Drew asked.

"Ms. Drew is in the ICU right now. She has a severe concussion due to apparent head trauma. It looks as though she has been hit in the head numerous times. She's still unconscious as of now, but when she wakes up, she might feel dizzy or lightheaded and may not remember what exactly happened to her. Fortunately, that is the most severe injury that she has. She will be watched carefully for the next few nights; we want to make sure that she doesn't slip into a coma, of course. But she should recover just fine."

"Thank God," Ned said softly.

"Are we allowed to visit her?" Mr. Drew asked.

The doctor nodded. "For ten minutes in the ICU, and only one visitor at a time."

They thanked the doctor as he left.

--

A few moments later, Ned was standing next to Nancy's hospital bed, very gently holding her uninjured hand and rubbing it.

She was still unconscious. She had been ever since she had been found earlier that evening.

_He said she would wake up soon,_ Ned thought.

Her body was bruised and scarred beyond belief. Obviously, her captors had no mercy over her, and had no intention of letting her live. But the question was, _why?_

--

The next afternoon, detectives came with hopes of speaking to Nancy. When they knocked on her door at two o'clock, they heard Ned's voice responding with "Come in." The detectives walked in and closed the door behind them before facing the young couple.

Nancy was awake, but very weak. She was sitting up in the hospital bed, propped up by several pillows. Ned was holding her hand.

"Ms. Drew, I am Detective Brown and this is Detective Harrison. We were wondering if we could speak to you privately," he added, eyeing Ned.

"Ned stays," Nancy said. Her voice, although weak and slightly hoarse, was very firm.

"Very well," Detective Brown said. "Ms. Drew, do you remember what happened to you at all?"

Nancy closed her eyes. The truth was that she had no memory of what had happened at all. "I—I'm sorry, I can't remember," she said finally.

"You can't remember anything at all?" the detective asked. "Any little bit will help us, Ms. Drew."

"I know. I know it would. I just—I can't remember."

"That's fine, Ms. Drew," Detective Harrison said. Detective Brown nodded in agreement, somewhat resigned. "If you can remember anything at all, let us know." As one of the detectives left the room, Detective Brown paused to speak to Ned. "There's going to be a news report tonight," he said. "The police have told the media that Ms. Drew was found dead; if her kidnappers find out that she's alive, we're afraid they might go into hiding. Just be careful what you tell people," he warned before he, too, left the room.

Nancy sighed and Ned kissed her hand. "It's not your fault if you can't remember, " Ned said. He gently stroked hair.

"I know," she said.

"They'll find them," Ned said. "They'll find them eventually." He kissed his girlfriend one last time. "I have to go," he said. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

Nancy nodded. "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too. Take care."

--

"Hey, Chad, where did you put the remote?"

"Haven't had it."

"You were the last person to watch television. Don't tell me you didn't use the remote."

"I don't know. Get your lazy butt up and get it yourself."

"Would you two _please_ stop your arguing? It's getting old."

"Not as old as you, old man."

"Real mature."

The three kidnappers and would-be-killers were at a hotel in the middle of San Antonio, Texas—hundreds of miles away from where detectives remained, baffled, searching through every aspect of the case. It was their second night there after their quick escape from Illinois. Their money was coming from the several bad checks that Louis, one of the three kidnappers, had been writing all over the city.

The room had two beds and a pull out couch—leaving a bed for each man. The head of the group, Peter, was sprawled out on one of the beds with a map of Mexico spread open in front of him. It was only a matter of time before _someone_ discovered that they were writing the bad checks, and they needed to find somewhere safe to hide out. Somewhere out of the country. The older man looked up when he heard something on the television that caught his attention.

"Hey, turn that up, will ya?" he said.

"…Nancy Drew, whom has been missing for well over a week, was found late yesterday evening dead in her car over one hundred miles away from her hometown, River Heights. Ms. Drew was reported missing last Tuesday after failing to return home from a party being held at Emerson College. Investigators are left with very few clues in the case…"

Chad shut the television off. For a long moment, the three men sat in silence. Finally, Louis said with amazement, "We did it."


	4. Chapter 4

Hiya,

Here's the next chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews so far, I really, really appreciate it :) :) If there are mistakes, let me know, but honestly, it's one o'clock in the morning right now, so there's a good possibility I missed something lol. ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. R&R please :)

* * *

Nancy was taken home from the hospital three days later.

Because she was assumed dead to everyone, it was harder to get her out of the hospital without being seen by someone that would discover the truth. But somehow, they pulled it off.

Ned drove her home. Her father was still at work, so Ned decided to stay for a while, just to make sure Nancy was all right on her own.

"You know, I guess it should be a blessing that I don't remember what happened to me," Nancy said.

Ned pulled her down on the couch with him. "I agree," he said.

Nancy snuggled against him. "I just wish that I could identify who kidnapped me. I wish…" she broke off.

"You know it would be too dangerous to help the police," Ned said. "Everyone thinks you're dead now. Very, very few people know the truth. If your kidnappers find out that you're alive…who knows what they would do."

"I know," she said. She sighed and glanced outside. Rain, again. "Are there any good movies out?"

Ned smiled. "Thought you'd never ask."

--

Nancy fell asleep within the first fifteen minutes of the movie. She fell asleep in Ned's arms on the couch. Ned kissed the top of her head gently. Hannah Gruen brought in a blanket, which he pulled up over Nancy.

"I'm glad she's sleeping alright," she said. "I know there are some people that wouldn't be able to sleep well for months after an incident like what she went through."

"I know," Ned said. Nancy moved slightly in her sleep, and both Hannah and Ned were quiet for a long moment to make sure she wouldn't wake up. Finally, Ned said, "We have a lot to be thankful for."

Hannah nodded, and then looked outside. "Are you sure you want to drive home in this weather?" she asked. "It's getting pretty bad out there."

Ned glanced toward the window. "You're right," he said. "It's pouring rain out there." Suddenly, lightning lit the sky, followed by a very loud clap of thunder.

"You're welcome to stay," Hannah said.

"Okay. If it's not a problem…"

"It's not," she insisted. "You're always welcome here."

While Hannah went to set up the guest bedroom, Ned carried Nancy to her bed. He kissed her softly. "I love you," he whispered.

--

The next day, detectives continued their investigation.

It seemed almost impossible—after all, they had no suspects, and their only witness had a complete memory loss of the entire event.

They decided to search Nancy's car for clues. They hit the jackpot.

There was an empty space where her car radio and stereo had once been. All around that space were fingerprints. Lots of fingerprints. They were all noted and would eventually be put in to the system to see if any of them matched someone with a criminal background.

One of the detectives also found a piece of plaid cloth on the floor of the car. It looked as if it had been torn off of something. "Take the cloth in for DNA testing, and take the fingerprints to the lab," Detective Brown said once they had returned to the office.

"Yes, sir."

Detective Brown took a seat at his desk and sighed. For a long time, he sat there, thinking, his thoughts whirling. Finally, on a hunch, he picked up the phone. After several rings, a deep voice said, "Detective Harrison."

"Detective Harrison, this is Detective Brown."

"Do you have any new leads?" Harrison asked instantly.

"As of a matter of fact, yes. But I need your help…"

--

"They cannot seriously want me to change my appearance," Nancy said.

It was later that afternoon, and Mr. Drew had just gotten off the phone with Detective Brown.

"It'll make it easier to hide your identity," Mr. Drew said. "You have to remember, they're only doing this for your safety."

Nancy glanced back at the black hair dye in her hands, then at her father. Finally, she said, "Fine. I'll do it."

"Thank you."

Nancy disappeared into the bathroom.

Within only an hour, Nancy's appearance had almost completely changed. Her hair, once reddish-blonde, was now black; earlier that day, Nancy had gotten her long hair chopped off and cut into a new style. Nancy's eyes, with the help of colored contacts, no longer appeared blue, but were now a darker color, practically the same color as her hair.

"Hopefully that'll do it," Mr. Drew said. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

It was Ned, there to pick up Nancy for a date. Ned's eyes went wide when he first saw her, but he quickly recovered. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. She nodded.

"Do you know how late you'll be out?" Mr. Drew asked.

"We shouldn't be out too late, sir," Ned replied. Mr. Drew nodded.

"Have a great time," he said.

"Bye, Dad," Nancy said. She shut the door behind them.

"So where are we going?" Nancy asked.

"Where do you want to go?" Ned replied.

Nancy shrugged. "Somewhere to get away from the drama," she said.

Ned smiled. As they got to his car, he paused, taking his girlfriend in his arms. He kissed her gently, and they lingered in each other's arms.

"I know that this is all hard for you," he said. "It's hard for all of us. I mean—" he sighed.

"What," she asked softly.

"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again," he said. "And for them to find you left for dead in your car over a week later…" he sighed. "My point is, I'm pretty sure I know how you feel. Just hang in there, though, and before you know it, it will all be over with."

"I just hope you're right."

--

Nancy was home at ten sharp after a movie, although Nancy and Ned spent most of the time making out it, felt like.

As soon as Nancy got home, she got ready for bed and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately. But that night, Nancy had a dream. A nightmare, really.

_Her car wouldn't start. She tried everything, but she couldn't get the car to start. She had pulled over to the side of the highway, out of the way of traffic to be safe, although at this hour, there was literally no one out. Finally, she realized she would have to check for the problem herself._

_She got out of the car and went to the front, where she opened the hood. Smoke immediately began to rise from her car, and she instinctively jumped back. _

_Suddenly, another car pulled up. A dark sedan. Two men were in the car, and one of them got out…ran up to her…asked if she needed help…then grabbed her. _

Nancy jerked awake. Her heart was racing. It took her a minute to realize that she was safe at home.

Nancy sat up in bed, trying to calm herself. As she did, she couldn't help but wonder one thing.

Could her memory of the kidnapping be coming back?


	5. Chapter 5

A memorial service was held the next afternoon for Nancy. Hundreds of people attended—everyone from friends from high school to friends from past cases to family.

The Drews and the Nickersons all played their role well as two families grieving the loss of a much loved teen, taken so suddenly out of their lives.

It was a time to laugh, a time to cry, but most of all, a time to celebrate the life of Nancy Drew. Many people shared memories that they had of Nancy, most of them being from cases.

Meanwhile, Nancy was at home, far away from where the memorial service was held. She settled down in her room with a book, waiting for her father and Hannah to get back home. Finally, at four that afternoon, they made it home. Nancy unlocked the front door to let them in.

"Hi," Mr. Drew said.

"Hi," Nancy replied. Mr. Drew sank into the first chair he saw in the living room, and Nancy took a seat across from him.

"I hope that I never have to go through with that again," Mr. Drew said. "Everything felt so…_real_."

"I'm sorry," Nancy said sympathetically.

"It's not your fault," Mr. Drew said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she said. "I still wish you'd let me help the police, though."

"Nancy, I'm not starting this argument again. It'll go nowhere. It's for your own good."

Nancy sighed. She knew that he was only worried about her protection. But she was never one to stand aside and let others enjoy all of the action.

She hadn't told anyone about her dream the night before. It wasn't any type of evidence, and nothing could be certain about it. But she was about to break and tell her father about it when suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Nancy answered it and found Ned standing in the doorway. He immediately took her in his arms and kissed her gently. "I'm glad that's over," he said softly.

It was obvious that the memorial had the same affect on Ned as it had on Mr. Drew. Even though they knew that Nancy was alive, the service was just one more reminder of what could have happened.

"Where's Hannah?" Nancy asked. Ned took a seat next to Nancy on the couch and put his arm around her. She rested her hand on his gently.

"She had a few errands to run," Mr. Drew replied. He stood up. "Would either of you like a snack? Something to drink?"

"No, thanks," Nancy said. Mr. Drew left the room. Ned squeezed Nancy's hand.

"We should go do something," he said.

"Okay. Like what?"

"Dancing."

Nancy laughed. "Alright," she said.

She told her father where they were going, promising not to be out too late, before the young couple left.

--

There was a club downtown River Heights specifically for those that were underage or those that were too young to go to a regular bar. It was a popular place to be on a Friday night.

They had just pulled up to the building when a thought came to Nancy. "Ned, isn't this kind of dangerous? I mean, everyone is so worried about safety issues now. If someone sees you out with 'another girl' the night of my 'memorial service', they'll get suspicious."

"We'll take our chances," he replied. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. Reluctantly, she followed him.

The room was already pounding with music and crowded with teens when the young couple entered. Nancy and Ned joined the group and threw themselves into the beat of the next song.

The song was fast and upbeat. They danced until they were the only ones left on the dance floor as everyone watched them. When it was over, the others clapped. Ned took Nancy in his arms and held her gently.

"We've still got it," she said with a smile.

Ned smiled in return. He kissed her. "Definitely."

The DJ put a slow song on next. It was very familiar to Nancy and Ned.

"It's our song," Nancy said.

Everyone there with a date paired up. Ned smiled slowly. Then, almost jokingly, he said, "May I have this dance?"

Nancy couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I guess," she said. Ned took Nancy's hand, and then put his other hand around her waist. Nancy put her hand on his shoulder as they swayed to the music.

The rest of the night was amazing. The club didn't close until midnight, but Nancy was supposed to be home no later than midnight. They left the club at eleven thirty, giving them plenty of time to get home.

Ned parked in front of her house. Nancy noticed another car in the driveway. "I wonder who's here so late," Nancy said.

"I don't know." Ned glanced at the car in the driveway. "Detectives, maybe?"

Ned parked his car then walked her up to the front door.

"Thanks for everything," she said. "That was so much fun."

"Anytime," he replied. He kissed her gently. Nancy lingered in his arms for a long moment. "I'll talk to you later," she said.

Ned nodded. He made sure that she got in alright—just as her father had requested earlier—before walking down the steps to his car.

--

"Dad, I'm home."

Nancy hung her jacket up and went upstairs.

"Dad, are you here?"

"I'm in here."

Nancy opened the door to Mr. Drew's study. It was then that she found Mr. Drew—and two detectives.

"Hello, Ms. Drew," the first one, who she recognized as Detective Brown, said. "I'm sorry to bother you so late."

"It's fine," she replied. "Did you find something?"

The detective nodded. "Possibly," he replied. He opened a manila folder and pulled out two photographs. "We sent several fingerprints found on your car to a lab. These are the two men that came up. Do you recognize either of them?"

Nancy looked at the photographs carefully.

The first photograph was of a man with dark hair and matching dark eyes. He smiled an almost cruel smile in his mug shot, revealing his distinctive crooked teeth. Immediately, the first thing that came to mind was her dream. But the second photo brought back even more memories than the last. Those eyes…those piercing blue eyes…

_She was laying on something soft. She would be comfortable if it weren't for the ropes around her wrists and ankles…they were so tight…_

_Someone was standing over her. More than one person. Two men. _

"_What should we do with her?" _

"_I don't know. The boss said we could do what we wanted." _

"_We could rape her."_

_The blond haired man grinned. "Let's do it." _

Nancy jerked out of her trance when she felt her father's hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright? You're pale white."

"Fine. I'm fine." She took a deep breath. "That's them."

"You're certain?"

Nancy nodded. "Positive."

The detective closed the folder. "Thank you, Miss Drew. We'll put in a warrant as soon as possible."

Both detectives nodded curtly at Mr. Drew and his daughter. "We'll be in touch."

"Thank you, sir," Mr. Drew said. He showed them to the door.

Nancy sank into her father's chair behind the desk in the study, waiting for him to come back. When he did, he looked at his daughter in concern. "What happened earlier? Are you alright?"

Nancy nodded. "I'm fine," she said, then sighed. "I've just—I've been having these nightmares lately, and I think they have to do with the kidnapping. That's what happened earlier."

"Nightmares like what?"

She told him about both flashbacks.

"But no one raped you," Mr. Drew said slowly.

"I know," she said. "So if those small bits of memory that I'm getting are what really happened…what changed their mind?"

"The only way to know is to catch them," Mr. Drew said. He kissed the top of his daughter's head. "Get some rest. You need it. Love you."

"Love you, too," she said softly.


	6. Chapter 6

"Everything's official. Nancy Drew—the infamous Nancy Drew—is dead. And _we did it,"_ Craig said.

"I know," Louis replied. "Think of all of the criminals dying to get their hands on her."

"We practically made history."

Peter was sitting at the only table in the hotel room, now in Corpus Christi, Texas. Hopefully it was only one or two more overnight stops before they reached their destination.

He looked at the newspaper in front of him, scanning over the article of Nancy's memorial service. It went on to inform readers of the progress of the case.

"You've done well, gentlemen. All but one thing."

"What's that, boss?" Craig asked.

Peter laid the paper down in front of him, and then looked them both in the eyes, first Craig, and then Louis. "You left prints behind."

The color drained from both kidnappers' faces. "That's not possible. We wore gloves!"

"Well, you did _something_ wrong, or they wouldn't have found fingerprints," Peter replied wryly. He sighed and stood up. "They've got a warrant out for your arrest. We've got to make it to Mexico before they track us down. We'll head out early tomorrow morning."

--

The next twenty-four hours was spent trying to track down Louis Harold and Craig Smith. They looked up addresses for both men and discovered that Louis had moved out of his rental home several weeks before and had not told his landlord where he was moving to. Craig, however, had moved out of his apartment on August 15—the day before Nancy was kidnapped. He hadn't told anyone where he planned on going, but had made the mistake of leaving behind several pamphlets for Mexico City.

"We've got to find them before they leave the country," Brown said.

Detective Harrison nodded. "If they make it out of the country, they'll never stand trial," he said.

Detective Brown put the pamphlets in an evidence bag, and then said, "Let's get 'em."

--

Ned missed his first week back to college. But he didn't care. He knew that he couldn't leave without knowing that Nancy would be alright.

She had told him about her nightmares, and how she thought the kidnapping may be coming back to her. If that was true, it was possible that the next few weeks could be very emotional for her until her kidnappers were found.

"At least you were able to identify them," Ned said.

"I know. Hopefully it's not too late to find them."

Ned kissed Nancy gently. "They'll find them. Don't worry. It'll all be over soon, I'm sure of it."

Nancy wrapped her arms around Ned's neck and they kissed again. Ned rested his hand on the back of her neck. When they finally pulled apart, Nancy whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too.

They leaned in for another kiss, but suddenly, the telephone rang.

Nancy sighed. "Someone's got really bad timing."

"Agreed."

Nancy picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ms. Drew, this is Detective Brown. If possible, I need you to come to the police station right away."

"Alright," she replied. "I'll be right there." She hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Ned asked.

"Detective Brown. He wants me to come to the police station right away."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Nancy shrugged. "If you want to. I wonder what's so urgent…"

--

They were at the station in ten minutes flat. They were immediately greeted by two very grave detectives.

"Ms. Drew. Mr. Nickerson. Please, have a seat," Detective Brown said once they were in his office.

The young couple did so. The detective looked Nancy straight in the eyes. "We've got a very serious situation on our hands. I understand that you two went out a few nights ago?"

They both nodded.

"It seems that someone at the club has identified you. It's leaked to the media that you're still alive."

"But—how could they possibly have—"

"I don't know how. But the damage is done. There was a news broadcast late last night." Detective Brown sighed. "It went national just this morning. There was no stopping it."

"What do we do now?" Nancy asked softly.

"There's not much that we _can_ do." The detective opened the manila folder on his desk, holding everything from the case so far. "We're pretty sure that your kidnappers are heading to Mexico. We're hoping that they aren't there yet. There is still a chance that we can stop them before they leave the country. As for you, we're going to make sure you're completely protected. There will be undercover policemen with you at all times, just as a precaution. We're going to continue the case, and you're to stay completely out of it."

Reluctantly, Nancy nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Ms. Drew. We'll be in touch."

--

"_She's still alive? _I thought you took care of her weeks ago!"

"B-boss, it—it has to be a misunderstanding. Honest." Craig's voice shook with fear.

"There's no misunderstanding at all," Peter growled. "She should be _dead_ right now, but she's _not,_ thanks to you two fools." Peter scowled and sank into the nearest chair and held his head in his hands. "Why did I ever trust you with her?" he muttered to himself.

"But we thought—"

"You thought what? She was dead? She's obviously not. I told you specifically to make sure she was dead before you put her in the car, not just leave her and assume she'll die eventually. It's not logical." He sighed and stood up. "She could have told the police anything by now. They could be right on our trail, for all I know."

"I'm sorry, boss—"

"Sorry doesn't fix it this time." Peter walked slowly to the window and looked out. "It's because of her that my brother's dead right now. I think she needs to pay for that, don't you?" Peter turned to the two other men, who were cowering in the corner of the room. "I want her brought to me _alive._ I'll finish her off myself. Think you can handle that?"

Craig and Louis nodded.

"Good. Now let's go. We've got a lot of planning to do."


	7. Chapter 7

I know I'm updated faster than usual, but I'm trying to finish this story before July 1. I'm starting a computer fast then. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :) The end is kind of sad, but it WILL get much happier!! :) Keep that in mind... R&R please

-boyzaremylife

* * *

The Drew home was to be kept very secured. And that it was. Two men were to keep watch at the Drew's front door, while two others kept watch at the back. Nancy talked her way out of having a detective follow her during the day, but was still warned to be careful in case her kidnappers made a drastic change in their plan.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Louis, Craig, and Peter were crossing state lines into Missouri, on their way _back_ to River Heights to finish the job they had started.

"Which way do we go from here, Louis?" Craig asked.

Louis looked at the map he was holding, and then glanced up at the exit sign. "Exit here," he answered.

"How much longer?"

After a quick calculation, Louis replied, "About another hour and a half to two hours, I'd say. It'll pass in no time."

Craig nodded, and then glanced at Peter, who was gazing anxiously out the window. For him, these next two hours would definitely push him to his limit.

--

Ned called early on Friday, asking Nancy out to dinner.

"I'd love to go," she answered.

"Great. Oh, and wear something dressy."

"Alright," she said slowly. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he replied, and she could tell from his voice that he was smiling. "I'll pick you up at seven. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said.

--

"Take a right up here, then a left. Her house is straight ahead."

Craig did as he was instructed, and soon, he was in front of the Drew home.

"Wow," Louis said softly. "She must be loaded. That's some house."

"Her father is a lawyer," Peter replied absently. "Remember the plan?" The other two men nodded, and Peter said, "Great. Let's go."

--

Ned arrived at the Drew home on time, as promised. When he did, he found the Drew home completely dark. Sensing that something was wrong, he walked up the steps to the front door, where he found two unconscious guards and the door wide open, confirming his thoughts from earlier. Something was definitely not right.

Cautiously, Ned walked into the Drew home, and found himself in a living nightmare. "Nancy," he called. No answer. He went upstairs. "Nancy," he said again, more desperate this time. He walked down the hallway where the bedrooms were. He glanced in the master bedroom and found Carson Drew sprawled out in the middle of the floor. Ned rushed to older man's side and checked for a pulse, thankful to feel the steady beat beneath his fingers. He continued on.

Ned suddenly became aware of a muffled sound coming from the guest bedroom. Ned swung the door open and switched on the light. He found himself facing Hannah Gruen, who was bound and gagged, but conscious. Ned swiftly went to her side and removed the gag. Immediately, Hannah took a deep breath, then said, "They took her. They took Nancy. She's gone."

Ned's heart sank. After a moment of shock, he said, "I'll call the police. Will you check on Mr. Drew?"

Hannah nodded, then, after Ned untied her, left the room.

There was a phone in every bedroom. Nancy's was the closest. The phone was on the bedside table, but instead of being hung up, it hung loosely by the cord off the hook. Ned picked it up and saw that the last number called had been 911. Nancy must have tried to call for help when her kidnappers broke in. Ned redialed the number, and within a few minutes, sirens broke the silence of the night as police surrounded the house. An ambulance arrived shortly after.

The first detective on the scene was Detective Brown. He nodded curtly at Ned before walking into the house.

The police searched the entire house. It looked as if it had been ransacked. Detective Brown almost immediately searched Nancy's room.

Her clothes from earlier lay in a heap in the middle of the floor, and her high heeled shoes lay on her bed. Her dresser drawers had been pulled completely out of the dresser, and its contents had been dumped onto the floor and scattered. Her small piggy bank had been shattered, and all signs of money had been taken. The rest of the house looked very similar.

"I was afraid something like this might happen," Detective Brown muttered.

"What should we do, sir?" another detective asked.

"Send out an alert to all of the news stations. Tell them it's urgent. Make it breaking news if you have to. I have a feeling we have very little time to find her before they finish what they couldn't earlier."

--

When Nancy came to, she felt very groggy and sick to her stomach. She found herself in the back seat of a car. But she wasn't alone. Someone was sitting on the floor next to her.

"Boss, she's coming to."

Nancy blinked slowly several times before her vision cleared, and she found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes.

"Knock her out again," a voice from the front seat said. "We'll deal with her later."

Before Nancy could even think of struggling, she felt a cloth soaked in something very sweet being held over her nose and mouth. A moment later, she fell into a deep sleep.

--

Ned paced the floor of the police station restlessly. Detectives worked furiously around the clock, running tests on any evidence they found at the Drew home and answering phone calls with what would turn out to be useless information.

Mrs. Nickerson approached her son, holding out a cup of coffee. Ned looked at it hesitantly. "Take it," she said. "You need it."

Ned took the steaming cup from his mother and sank into a chair. Mrs. Nickerson took a seat next to him and rested her hand on his. "Have faith," she said softly, "that she'll be okay. God will watch over her. You know that."

Ned nodded. "I know," he replied. "But I can't help but be worried. Knowing their intentions…" he shook his head. "It's just hard."

Suddenly, Detective Brown burst through the door, followed by three other men. "Did you find something?" Ned asked hopefully.

"Possibly," Detective Brown answered. "There was a report of a dark car parked along the highway, just outside of the woods. The car matches the description given. Apparently it's been idling for quite some time. We're going to check it out."

Ned stood up. "I'm coming with you," he said.

The detective turned to look at Ned. Noting the very anxious look on Ned's face, he knew that there was no arguing. "Fine. But hurry."

--

Nancy was only half conscious when she felt someone drag her out of the car. She was too weak to even fight back.

"Take her into the woods. There shouldn't be anyone back there."

Nancy's heart pounded. _What's going on?_ She wanted to ask. _What did I ever do to you to deserve this?_

Nancy's hands were bound tightly behind her. She was pushed onto the ground so she was sitting on her knees.

"Get the gun out of the car. I'll take care of this little problem once and for all."

Nancy heard footsteps as they trailed away from her. Suddenly, she became aware of another man standing in front of her.

"Well, Miss Drew. I must say I was quite surprised to hear that you were still alive. I thought for sure that we finished you off weeks ago."

"Not quite," Nancy managed to reply. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "How do you even know me?"

"You've never met me," he replied. "But I believe you've met my brother, Andrew Lawson. You put him in prison a few years ago for counterfeit. You may have heard about his death in the paper."

"What does that have to do with me?" she asked.

"If it weren't for you, my brother would be alive right now," he said, his voice rising. Footsteps were approaching fast.

"Here ya go, boss," one of the accomplices said, then tossed him a gun.

The man circled around Nancy until he was behind her. A gag was stuffed in her mouth and tied tight around her. She heard a _click_ as he turned the safety latch off. "Let's finish this once and for all," he said softly.

Everything happened very fast after that. Nancy closed her eyes, bracing herself for her fate. But instead, she heard a surprised cry behind her, followed by a struggle. Taking chance, she turned and found a detective struggling with the leader of the group.

The other two men were struggling with another detective and…

Ned.

Nancy was nearly crying with relief, just seeing her boyfriend again. She sat there helplessly and watched.

Two of the men finally surrendered, but the head of the group continued to struggle, determined to finish what he came there for. Suddenly, a gunshot broke the silence of the night closely, followed by another. Then, all struggling stopped, and the night was quiet once again.

Ned immediately went to Nancy's side. He removed the gag and asked, "Are you okay?"

"My arm," Nancy groaned. "It hurts."

Ned's eyes went to her arm. She had been shot. Ned reacted immediately. He peeled off his shirt and held it against the wound. "It's okay," he said softly. "You're going to be fine." Detective Brown appeared next to him. Seeing her bleeding arm, he spoke into his walkie-talkie. "We need an ambulance right away." Then he reached down and checked for her pulse. "Her pulse is weak, breathing shallow. She's going into shock," he reported.

Sirens screamed as they approached the wooded area. They were close.

"Try to keep her conscious," Detective Brown instructed Ned.

Ned gazed at Nancy's face. Her eyes were almost closed now. With a shaking hand, Ned took Nancy's hand, which was ice cold. He kissed it softly. "Nan, baby, I need you to stay awake for me. Please, try to stay with me." No response. "Nancy, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." For a long moment, he felt nothing, and his heart sank. But he suddenly felt her fingers wrap very lightly around his hand. Ned let out a shaky breath. "Hang in there," he whispered. He rested his hand on her cheek. "I love you."

Paramedics arrived then, and Nancy was placed on a gurney. Ned reeled back and sighed. _Everything has to be all right._


	8. Chapter 8

Hola again :) I'd like to thank all of the lovely reviewers, especially Elja, who has given me advice and help while working on this story. Thanks for everything :) Here's the final chapter of the story. Sorry if you think the ending sucks, but I tried my best. R&R please and enjoy this last chapter :)

PS: My computer fast has changed--I'm starting it tomorrow since I didn't get this story finished lol. Just if you're wonering...

Enjoy.

* * *

Peter Lawson, Craig Smith, and Louis Harold were taken into custody immediately. The men were put in three separate holding cells, far apart from one another. Then, one by one, they were brought in for questioning. And one by one, the detectives got the same answer: they were innocent.

It was a ridiculous statement, of course; the three men were found only moments away from murdering Nancy Drew. But for the longest time, they stuck to their story, which was obviously planned out.

"I've told you already, I've never seen Nancy Drew before in my life."

"How do you explain your presence at the time that Ms. Drew was found in the woods?"

"I was just a passerby. Nothing more. I knew nothin' about it."

The detective cleared his throat. "Mr. Harold, I'm giving you one more opportunity to confess. It'll be much easier on you if you cooperate with us." But the man remained silent.

--

It was Craig that finally broke.

After nearly two continuous hours of questioning, Craig Smith finally gave his story.

"Sometime in the middle of July, I received a call from an old friend of mine, Peter Lawson. I had gone to school with him, and he was in my graduating class—we went back real far. Anyway, I hadn't talked to him since the two of us got put in prison two years prior—"

"What for?"

"Breaking and entering."

"Continue."

"Peter said that he had a little favor to ask, and I agreed. He asked if I had heard of Nancy Drew, and I snickered. She'd been the one to put me in prison in the first place, after all. So he said he had an opportunity to get back at her. This was how:

Louis Harold and I followed Ms. Drew from the party held at Emerson College on August 16, just as instructed. We had been keeping a close eye on her the entire night, waiting for our opportunity to come. And finally, it did. As soon as she got into her car, we got into ours and followed her.

We kept a safe distance away from her, just so she wouldn't get suspicious, but she never left our sight. She drove for almost an hour straight before she finally stopped at a small gas station in some deserted-looking town. She went inside to pre-pay for gas. As soon as she did, I turned to Louis to discuss the situation. We decided that as soon as she came back out, we'd grab her; finish the job right then. But she didn't come out alone. Instead, one of the clerks came out, keys in hand, walking quite close to her, chatting nonchalantly. I guess her car died on her, and he jumped it for her. Anyway, she said a quick thanks, got in her car, and left."

Craig paused for a breath before continuing. "We followed her for about another mile before she pulled over to the side of the highway. Louis, who was driving, held back a short while to see what she was doing. We watched as she got out of her car, went around front, and opened the hood. Immediately, smoke emerged, and she jumped back. Louis and I looked at each other. We knew that this was it.

Louis pulled to the side of the road, several feet away from her car, and I jumped out. I ran up to her, asking if she needed help. She smiled and said no, someone was already coming, but thanks for the offer. She reached for the car door, but before she even got the door open, I grabbed her. She immediately began to struggle."

Craig gave a small smile at the memory. "She was a lot tougher than she looks, that's for sure. I had her hands held behind her, but she began to kick _hard._ She got me good in the knee. My grip loosened a bit, and I was worried that she would get away, so I slammed her against the car. Her entire arm broke through the window, and for a split second, she stopped struggling. I took advantage of the moment and hit her hard on the back of the head. She went limp in my arms. I dragged her to our car, threw her in the back seat, and we left."

"What did you do with her car?"

"Louis drove back as soon as he dropped her off at the cabin. He messed with the car for a while, I guess, and somehow got it working well enough to get it back to the cabin."

Craig continued his story, explaining every vivid detail of the kidnapping and attempted murder. Nancy had been held in a cabin that Peter had rented for the week. She was kept in one of the bedrooms, tied up the entire time. Craig and Louis were given permission to do whatever they pleased with her, and almost immediately decided to rape her.

"But you never raped her?" The detective's question came out as more of a statement than a question.

Craig shook his head. "We tried, but like I said before, she's tougher than she looks. She would yank away from us whenever we came close, thrusting her bound feet up, trying to hit us. We finally gave up on raping her.

After several days, Peter finally said we would need to finish her off fairly quickly. If we didn't get rid of her soon, the police might catch up with us, he'd said. So we beat her. We beat her many, many times in that one night until she finally just didn't come to for the longest time. It was then that they put her in her own car, drove her several miles away, then moved her to the driver's side to look as if she had been driving, all the while taking chance that maybe this time, she wouldn't wake up. After they left her to die, they returned to the cabin, cleaned up, and left for Mexico to start a new life.

The room was completely silent after Craig Smith finished his confession. A detective reached over and turned off the tape recorder, then two officers approached Craig as he was handcuffed and led out of the room. The remaining detectives followed, their faces grim and hearts heavy as for the first time, they realized what exactly Nancy had experienced in that week and a half. The detectives stood outside the interrogation room for several long, quiet moments, before Detective Brown said softly, "It's over."

--

Ned knocked lightly on Nancy's hospital room door. "Come in," Nancy called.

Ned walked in, then closed the door behind him. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she echoed.

"How're you doing? Do you feel any better?"

Nancy nodded. "They've been taking good care of me, don't worry," she said with a smile.

"That's good," he replied, then kissed her gently. "So I hear you should be out of here soon."

"So I hear," she said. Her smile widened. "We should celebrate. Celebrate the ending of this case."

"I agree." Ned sighed. "What should we do?"

Nancy shrugged. "I think I still owe you one dinner date from earlier," she said. "Since it got so rudely interrupted."

Ned laughed. "'Rudely' just puts it nicely," he said. "But that sounds great."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Carson Drew walked in.

"Dad! I didn't know you were released from the hospital yet. How are you?"

Carson Drew laughed. "I was kept overnight, just to be safe, but I'm fine. The real question is how are _you_?"

"Better, now," she replied. Ned took her hand and she squeezed it gently.

"I was just dropping in for a moment. I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right."

"I am. Thanks."

Mr. Drew kissed his daughter, and then turned to Ned. "Don't tire the patient out," he said jokingly.

Ned laughed. "I'll try not to."

The young couple talked for a long time after Mr. Drew left. Conversation was carefully steered away from the past week, and instead was focused on other issues. At some point in the conversation, Ned reached into his jacket pocked and felt something solid beneath his fingers, and he remembered his intentions from the night Nancy went missing again. He made the decision that he wouldn't be able to wait much longer.

"Nancy, you know that I love you. I've loved you from the moment I met you. And I know we've been talking about spending the rest of our lives together." He took a breath. "And there's something I wanted to ask you."

Ned pulled a small box from his pocket, then knelt on the firm floor on one knee.

"Oh, my—" Nancy said softly, but broke off.

"I know that this isn't how you would have planned on this happening, and I didn't plan on it either, but here I am, asking, will you marry me, Nancy Drew?"

Nancy nodded fervently. "Of course," she said. "Of course I will."

Ned sighed inwardly a sigh of relief as he stood again and took Nancy in his arms. The young couple kissed, then Ned slipped the ring on Nancy's finger.

"I love you," Nancy whispered.

"I love you, too."

Nancy sighed. "Should we tell the family?" she asked.

Ned shrugged. "If you want to. Or we could wait…"

Nancy smiled. "I think there would be a lot of upset people if we waited," she replied.

"You're right. I'll go get them."

When Ned left, Nancy sighed deeply and closed her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, relaxed.

That night, when Nancy fell asleep, she had a dream unlike any that she had had in the past few weeks.

It was of a beautiful wedding, and the promising years ahead of them.


End file.
